E-mail, Feeds, 'n' Stuff

Friday, January 23, 2009

Did Adams pay Wiener with city funds?

The Portland police union chief wrote the city's embattled mayor last night, urging him again to resign but apologizing for not telling him so privately before blurting it out at the infamous press conference the other day.

In the e-mail message is the suggestion -- and this is the second time we have heard it -- that the mayor, while a city commissioner, may have used public funds to pay his political consultant, Mark Wiener, to coach the mayor's teenage gay lover to deny the sex. As quoted today on wweek.com, the union head, Scott Westerman, wrote:

By likely utilizing either city funds, or campaign funds, you have acknowledged that you employed Mark Weiner to assist you in the cover up of your relationship and your continuous lies to the citizens and employees of Portland.

"Likely utilizing either city funds, or campaign funds"? To us, there's a big difference between the two.

I'm still wondering how the mayor can hold a press conference in city hall and, as reported by the Oregonian on 1/21, have the press conference closed to the public. Do public meeting laws come into play on that?

It's just the beginning. The rules for the public comment period in the City Council meetings will have to be changed, unless the commissioners enjoy hearing about this scandal every meeting for months on end.

"I'm still wondering how the mayor can hold a press conference in city hall and, as reported by the Oregonian on 1/21, have the press conference closed to the public. Do public meeting laws come into play on that?"

It's too bad someone didn't take the opportunity to see just how ridgid that "rule" was. It would be interesting if threatening a Title 18 suit would get them to buckle, especially with the conspiracy charges that would accompany...

I'm no lawyer, but I'm pretty sure that would really get the ball moving.

Road Work

Miles run year to date: 155
At this date last year: 241
Total run in 2015: 271
In 2014: 401
In 2013: 257
In 2012: 129
In 2011: 113
In 2010: 125
In 2009: 67
In 2008: 28
In 2007: 113
In 2006: 100
In 2005: 149
In 2004: 204
In 2003: 269